Faith and Fiction Bible Study

Happy Friday, Seekers! Carrie here.

Forgive me for being late with this post today - I blame post-CFRR brain fog ;) 

Today I am honored to host a blogging friend of mine, Beckie Burnham, from By the Book! I love Beckie's blog, and if you haven't yet checked it out you really must.

She's here today to talk about her Faith and Fiction Bible Study/Book Club, which I think is one of the BEST ideas EVER...

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“Just because it isn’t real, doesn’t make it not true.”

That is my standard answer when someone says *gasp* they don’t read fiction because it is not real. This maxim is especially true for Christian Fiction. I am an avid reader, a book-pusher, who manages to work books and reading into just about every conversation and activity. When my church’s book club was looking for something a little different to pique interest and encourage attendance, we came up with a combo book club/Bible study. I had just read Charles Martin’s Long Way Gone and knew that this excellent reimagining of the Prodigal Son would be just the thing for our new experiment. When it was met with great enthusiasm the Faith And Fiction Bible Study was born. Studying the Bible plus reading fiction — what could be better!?

The Faith And Fiction group always chooses Christian fiction to accompany its study of scripture. Christian fiction is not only unique in its world view, but CF authors are committed to excellence in writing and research and producing a work that not only entertains, but is written with an audience of One in mind. Across many genres, truths are expressed in unique ways. With hundreds of books to choose from, my group is set for many more studies to come.

From the earliest days our goal was to study the Bible first, but the addition of a complimentary novel has opened our imaginations to dig even deeper into the Word. We have chosen a number of Biblical novels to accompany scripture study — Rebekah by Jill Eileen Smith and Delilah: Treacherous Beauty by Angela Hunt are just two. Other genres have also offered extraordinary insight into the stories of the Bible, but application in a modern world — How Sweet The Sound by Amy K. Sorrells and For Such A Time by Kate Breslin. Whether we are studying a specific Biblical figure (Miriam by Mesu Andrews) or broader topics like the the healing ministry of Jesus (Madman by Tracy Groot), the novels we have chosen add details of life that we sometimes overlook while reading our Bibles. We find ourselves questioning and researching to ferret our what is truly real. Creative twists are also a wonderful surprise. Many of us were forced from our reading comfort zones when we studied the role of Old Testament prophets and lost ourselves in the fantasy world of Prophet by R. J. Larson.

The format of Faith And Fiction is quite simple. We meet once a week for three weeks of Bible study, and then on the fourth week we have book club. Those book club meetings are great for discussing the usual — character, plot, setting — and also what God was and is up to! Food often plays a role in book clubs, and our group is no exception. We have had middle eastern honey cake, lentil stew, and Hamantashcen to add our own bit of authenticity and fun.

What do you need to start a Faith And Fiction Bible Study / Book Club of your own? Just a love of books and the Book. The following are the topics/people we have studied and the novels we read. Along with the novels listed, there are many, many more CF to choose from.

Delilah: Treacherous Beauty by Angela Hunt

For Such A Time by Kate Breslin (Esther)

How Sweet The Sound by Amy K. Sorrells (Tamar)

The Legend of Sheba by Tosca Lee (Solomon and the Queen of Sheba)

Long Way Gone by Charles Martin (The Prodigal Son)

Madman by Tracy Groot (healing ministry of Jesus)

Miriam by Mesu Andrews (Miriam and Exodus)

On This Foundation by Lynn Austin (Nehemiah)

Prophet by R. J. Larson (Old Testament prophets)

Rebekah by Jill Eileen Smith (Jacob and Rebekah)

Reign by Ginger Garrett (Ahab and Jezebel)

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Beckie Burnham is a wife, mom to grown kids, and an avid book pusher! A blogger of Christian fiction for almost 10 years, she also leads two book clubs, one of which combines Bible study and a fiction discussion (Faith And Fiction Bible Study). When not reading books (when is that really?!?) she enjoys spending time at her cabin in the north Georgia mountains.  

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What are some other books you think would be great candidates for a Faith & Fiction Bible Study? (tell us the book & what theme it would be great for)

Have you participated in something similar?
How does this appeal to you as an author? As a reader?